Constellation Brands, an internationally renowned beverage producer and distributor, understands the importance of giving back locally.

Based in Victor, Constellation Brands launched its Nourishing Neighbors initiative in 2014 to help combat food insecurity. It has partnered with Foodlink on numerous events and projects, and will add one more to the list in the coming months. Throughout the rest of August and September, the beverage company is encouraging patrons to drop off non-perishable goods at participating local restaurants and wine stores in the Rochester area. Constellation hopes to surpass its goal of donating 1,000 pounds of food to Foodlink.

“Our employees really embrace this ongoing partnership with Foodlink and understand how hunger can have a devastating impact on the Rochester community,” said Tom Kane, Chief Human Resources Officer at Constellation Brands. “Plus, with September being Hunger Action Month nationwide, we felt it was an appropriate time of year to bring this serious issue to the forefront once again.”

According to Feeding America, more than 156,000 people in Foodlink’s 10-county service area are considered food insecure, which means they lack reliable access to a sufficient amount of healthy food. In the four years since Nourishing Neighbors was launched, Constellation Brands has donated more than 200,000 pounds of food to area food banks and employees have volunteered more than 9,000 hours of their time.